Card file



R. BTKEL April 5, 1 932.

i CARD FIL@ l Filed Nov. 5, l,92 9

'FIE

ateintedl pr. 5,1 11932A PATENT oFFIcE;

RICHARD BTKE, or RRRLLN wiirss'nivsRR,y GERMANY y i CARD RILEl Application led November V, '1929, Serial No.

My invention'relates to card files ofthe type in'which'thecards are held in a box covered with transparent material and are adaptedto be handled from the outside of 5 the box. f

" 'It is an object of-my invention to improve a iile of this kind. i

f To this end I provide a llongitudinal slot inthe box, and on each card I provide a tab 1o which projects Yfrom theA slot and is handled from the outside without the card being removed from the box. 1 f

Ina preferred embodiment of my invention I provide the longitudinal slot in they transparent cover of the box `and equip the cards with tabs of thin steel which project from the slot while the cards are retained in the box. The cards are moved by the tabsV so that they may be read. The handling'of the cards is very easy and the appearance of the cards is not deterioratedby long handling as only the tabs are engaged.

Preferably a rod is provided extending longitudinally with respect to the box, and the tabs of the cards are perforated and threaded on the rod. The perforations are vertical slots permitting the. cards to be placed in an inclined position for facilitating reading. Obviously the cards must not be packed in the box'but must only partly ll its space so that they can be turned over without beinginterfered with by the othery cards.

My file may be used, for instance, for records kept by authorities and open for public inspection. While the records are easily read there is no possibility of tampering with them or removing cards.V

In the accompanying drawings acard iile embodying myv invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective illustration of the box v Fig.2 is a section on the line II-II in Fig. l,

Fig. 3 is a part plan view of the box,

Fig.` 4 is a section on the line IV-IV in rig., s,

405,039, and m Germany lievanbierv 17, 1928.

55] Referring now to thefdrawings, 1 A1s a box resembling a drawer, .2 is its `lid which is hinged to the rear edge of the box at 3, and 4, 4 are two plates of transparent material, non-splintering glass, Celluloid, or other material. The two cover vplates are inserted in the lid 3 and their widthis such as to leave a -gap 5 between them. Instead ofbeing V1nserted in the lid, the plates ,4, 4 may be placed loosely on top of the boxand heldin position by the lid. 6 is a lock, with akey 6', for closing the 'lid,-7 is a check at the frontend of the lid, and 8 is a groove in the top ofthe box 1 which is entered bythe check 7 when the lid is closed.V

The groove 8, anda corresponding groove, not shown, at lthe rear end Aof the :box `r1, t0- gether with the check 7 ,support the ends of. the longitudinal rod 9 which vextendslalongy the centre ofthe gap 5.", 'Y

Referring ynow to Figs''and 7, l0 is one of thenormall file cards,1l is its tab, preferably of steel plate, which is clamped on kthe upper edge of the card, and 12 is a slot suspended from the rod 9 without touching the'bottom l. The cards are readily handled by' theirtabs 11, and yas readily, displaced along thek rod 9.` The ngers ofthe operator, however, ynever get into ycontactfwith the cards .themselves so that they are not damaged by repeated reference. A n.

If it is desired to inspect one of the cards, for instance, the card 10', Figs. 1 andv 4, more closely, the cards are divided into two blocks by moving themapartat the `card 10 which` is practicable as the cards do not fill up the box altogether, and the card 10 can now' be tilted-and raised as far as permitted by the slot l2 in-.its tab 11.

Preferably the cards must not be raised until their upper edges abut below the plates 4, 4 as there is a possibility of removing them in this position. Raising of the cards to this extent is prevented by making the distance 13, Fig. 7, of the lower ends of the slots 12 from the` rod shorter than the distance 14, Fig. 2, of the upper edges of the cards 10 from the plates 4, or equal to this distance.

Card guides `may be inserted between the cards for facilitating the location of a given card. The guides 15, Fig. 6, are not as wide as the normal cards 10 but their upper edges project beyond those of the normal cards as best seen in Fig. 1. T he guides are equipped with slotted tabs 11, like the cards 10. Preferably the same tabs are used before the cards and the guides and in order to arrange the guides 15 above the upper edges of the cards when both thegcards and guides are assembled 'as shown in Figure l, the upper edges of the guides are cut away or recessed as shown in Figure 6 while the slotted tabs 11 are arranged in such cut away portions and secured thereto as shown in Figure 6.

It is understood that I am not limited to the central arrangement of the gap 5 and the rod 9, nor to any other details oi' the device describedby way of example.

Infoperation, when it is desired to remove cards or to insert new ones, the lock 6 is opened', and the lid 2 is raised. The rod 9 is now exposed and may be extracted yfor inserting or removing cards. The cards are now replaced by threading them on the rod 9, as described, and the rod is secured in position by turning down and closing the lid 2,.

I claim:

1. A card file comprising a box, a series of cards therein, transparent means on said box for retaining cards, said means defining a slot, and a tab extending from each card and projecting through said slot.

2. A card ile comprising a box, a plurality of cards in the box, transparent means on said box for retaining the cards therein, said means defining a slot, a rod in said box beneath the slot, and a slotted tab extending from each card and projecting through said slot and threaded on said rod. l

3. A card file comprisinga box, a plurality of cards therein, a removable red carried by said box, a slotted tab on each card threaded on said rod, al transparent lid on said box adapted vto hold said rod in position, said lid havlng a slot through which said tabs project, and means for locking said lid.

4. Acard file comprising a box, a series of cards therein, transparent means on said box for retaining cards, said means defining a. slot, 'a lrod in said box beneath said slot, and a slotted tab extending from each card and projecting through said slot and threaded 6i on said rod, the vertical dimension of the slots in said tabs exceeding the diameter of said rod.

5. A card file comprising a box, a plurality of cards therein, means on said box for retaining cards, said means defining a slot, a. rod in said box beneath the slot, and a slotted tab extending from each card and projecting through -said slot in the retaining means and threaded on said rod, the distance, with each card in vertical position, of the rod from the lower edge of the corresponding tab slot being less than the distance from the upper edge of said card to said retaining means.

6. A card le comprising a box, a. set of cards therein, a set of card guides, transparent means on said box for retaining said cards and guides, vsaid means defining afslot', 'and a. tab extending from the top of eachcard and oln each guide and projecting through said s ot.

7. A card file comprising a box, a set of cards therein, a lid 0n said box, transparent means on said lid yfor retaining cards, said means defining a slot, and a tab extend' flrom each c'ard an'd projecting through s ot.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

RICHARD BTKE. 

